Saturday, September 8, 2012

Our little town library operates from our Village Schoolhouse - a whole 936 sq ft. Into that space, we've managed to cram almost 6000 books, movies, audios, 3 public computers, a staff work space, and a children's play area. We have a huge Maine collection (books by Maine authors, books about Maine, books set in Maine). However, we have to be vigilant about allowing items to remain on the shelves when others are waiting their turn.

About once a year we weed. We have a committee of three and it takes 2 votes to remove a book from the collection. In the past, we tried having book sales to pass them on, but have found that if they didn't circulate from the shelves, they weren't going to sell either. So we have a freebie shelf, where we put books that we think still have appeal, and tell people they can make a donation if they wish. We also have established a freebie shelf at the local County airport terminal (there is no bookstore there) so people can grab something to read before getting on a flight. And finally we put a shelf of freebies in the town office, so people can browse while they wait to fill out papers for car tags, pay taxes, get building permits, etc. These have been a big success. Large print books go to the nursing home, and the rest (alas!) are destined for recycling (ssh...that means the town "transfer station" aka-the dump).

As we have been sorting, I've grabbed some of those books that I've been staring at for the past 5 years. These are ones that often fall under the heading of "I want to read that someday". So I brought them home for a temporary reprieve. As I get them read, they'll go on to find life on one of our freebie shelves. In the meantime, I'm going to have to find a "freebie" shelf (or some designated area) for these treasures: - Some "Maine Books":

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After moving around the world with the US Navy 19 times in 26 years, I've settled with hubby in coastal Maine where I get to use my MLS from CUA being a small town librarian. Besides being an avid reader, I'm a talker, Mom to the world's two greatest grownups, grandma (aka Tutu) to the bestest girl ever born, cross-stitcher, retired volunteer administrator, sports fan.
I swim four times a week (listening to audio books while I do so) and read/review at least 4 books a week. Can't think of anything more fun to do in retirement.